Fear clutched at Glací's scales. Her eyes darted about, hoping for another of her companions to spring from the darkness, though she knew such a thing would never occur. They had each promised to live solitary lives. They could not help her fight this dragon, and if she tried herself, Calor would be dead before she could get close to saving him.

The others would hate her for giving her power to an unworthy outsider. But they would hate her more if she let one of their own die.

But she wasn't going to give up right away, not without some fragment of a battle. Focusing hard on the cool of her scales to keep her calm, she met the grey dragon's sizzling stare.

"If you do this," Glací told her, gaze sharper and heavier than any shard of ice, "the world will crumble. You are not supposed to gain such power. It will destroy everything, starting with your own soul."

Not a flicker of fear crossed the dragon's eyes. She only smiled. "I am stronger than that, ice dragon. Simple magic cannot destroy me."

"You underestimate the strength of power lust." Glací's voice took on a note of desperation. "What you have convinced yourself you desire is not what you think."

A claw, grey as rock but shaped like a spear, reached down to rest against Glací's neck. The rest of the dragon's foot followed. Sharp pricks marked the softer, sensitive scales, and Glací grasped for a shaking breath.

This dragon wouldn't dare kill her, not while she had what she desired. But it didn't stop Glací's bones from chilling, a deeper cold, one that stung rather than wrapping her in its usual ice-filled embrace.

"I'm done talking." The words rumbled, their vibrations stabbing along with the claws. "Give me your power, or Calor dies."

Her eyes skipped to Calor, still hanging in the air. The tail was tensed now, jerked to the side, ready to beat him against the rock. Perhaps the impact would deliver the fatal blow. Perhaps a claw-like spire would find his heart. His captor didn't care how it happened, but it would, and then the world would crumble in a different way.

Glací whispered a silent apology to her companions. It had to be done.

Her eyes slid closed as her attention drew inward, reaching for the icy reserves in the far reaches of her soul. The soft pulse of her heart kept her calm, remaining wrapped in her power's chill, feeling the dance engulf her once more. But she couldn't be alone in the dance, not any longer. She was forced to share it with a partner.

Blind to the outside world, Glací lifted a front claw, curling it around the dragon's foot and letting it glide with her towards the ground. Her strength doubled, gripping the claws before her in an icy hold.

With both her power and the grey dragon in her grasp, she paused. One movement, that was all it would take. One shift of power, and everything they'd fought for, every myth they'd twisted and year they'd spent hiding away would be lost. It all meant nothing now.

Was there a way she could trick the dragon? Gift false power?

No, there was no way. Power was power, for good or bad. Even without the ability to see the future as one of her companions could, Glací knew the terrible things this power would cause.

But Calor had to live.

So, pushing against the wave of reluctancy and terror, she let the ice flow. From her soul it reached out, touching delicately against the dragon and letting it ripple away. She fought the urge to recoil as the magic came into contact with grey scales.

In only a few moments, the deed was done. Glací opened her eyes, but kept a firm grip on the calming chill inside as it settled back within her soul. It was as comfortable as always, but different now, touched by darkness. She was tainted with the knowledge that the ice was no longer hers alone to keep.

Lifting her eyes, she watched the power spread within the grey dragon. A further chill filled the cave to fade Calor's heat. The grey of her scales paled, as if scattered with snow.

The final sign was the change in her eyes. The shine of the blue dulled, then was gone entirely, swallowed by a darker navy. Almost black.

"Thank you," the dragon said, her smile never more chilling.

In one flick of her tail, her spines severed the ropes that pinned Calor and released him. One frantic beat of his freed wings delivered him safely to the ground beside Glací. But she felt no relief. Only dread.

The dragon said nothing more. With one final glint of her darkened eyes, she vanished into the darkness, heading for the surface. The thud of her steps faded, until she was gone. With her went the harsher chill, and the fate of all of Crysaliar, clutched in jaws stained with undeserved power.

Glací and Calor exchanged no words, only a fearful glance. They could do nothing, not anymore.

Crysaliar would fall to ice, and it was entirely their fault.